I can only watch it about once every other week because it makes me cry every time I watch it. I always think, "my poor dad". They interview Vietnam veterans and some fallen soldiers families and most of veterans end up crying or you can just see the pain in their eyes because of what they witnessed or were part of. One veteran was telling a story about being in a tunnel and he was supposed to take out the enemy in the dark and do it quietly which meant with his bare hands. He did so and said there was one casualty. Then said there was also another casualty that day, "the civilized version of me". That was such a powerful statement.
My dad was drafted at the age of 19 and went into the Army. My grandma said she had just come home from her friend's son's funeral, who was killed in Vietnam and my dad's draft papers were in the mailbox. When my dad was dying, his high school friend came to visit and told us that this war changed the person that my dad was. I've always thought, how could it not change a person.
Aunt Terri, my dad and grandma
Also when my dad was sick, he reconnected with a Vietnam buddy Eric from Washington (aka Heath). His nickname was Heath because he lost his clothes and had to wear a deceased soldiers clothes whose name was Heath. I then had to call Eric for my dad when he was dying to let him know and he started talking to me about once a week to check on him. He told me that he called every Robert Evans in the Des Moines phone book until he found my dad. I'm sure there had to be a lot of them. He said some of them were in other wars and he'd chat with them for a while. Eric also had struggled throughout his life coming back into the world as a civilian.
My dad didn't really talk much about the war except one night when he'd had too much to drink and I was living in Des Moines, going to college, he called me and talked about it. He told me that not only did the Vietnamese soldiers kill our men, but they would mutilate them so they would come across their men with their genitals shoved in their mouth. My dad said they were so enraged that they started doing the same back. I cannot imagine being 19 and living a normal life and then being subjected to such horror.
Eric also told me that when he reconnected with my dad is when my dad was going through a divorce with my ex-step monster (while also battling cancer) and was taking a trip with some buddies to Las Vegas. He told Eric he needed to meet them there. Eric said he couldn't afford it. My dad told Eric he would buy him a bus ticket and they could share a hotel room. My dad also told him this would probably be the last time he would see him. Eric said when they saw each other for the first time in the hotel lobby, it was the first time since serving in the war together. He said they hugged and cried and my dad said, if we don't stop they are going to think we're gay.
Dad & Eric
Anyhow, I have learned from watching this IPTV series just what a screwed up war this was. My dad did tell me if he had it to do all over again he would fight for his country because you have to fight for your country. God bless all of our soldiers for serving our country and risking their lives.
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